Gemini Initiation
by olivegirl2321
Summary: Tris and Tobias's twin children go through initiation. Natalia and Zack are pushed to their limits as new members of their faction. They soon find themselves face to face with a new threat. Will they come out victorious? Will they find love along the way? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Natalia

"Be brave, Natalia." my brother says, for once using my full name. I give him a nod and a smile, trying and failing to conceal my deep anxiety at the decision that lies before me. A decision that will change my life forever, no matter what I choose. Do I stay with my family? Leave them for a life of servitude, or a life of honesty? My Divergence is a gift, as my mother says, but it's times like these where I view it as a curse, for complicating my decision.

"Natalia Lynn Eaton." The Amity representative, an older woman with a scarred face- Johanna Reyes- calls out into the crowd.

The five bowls are huge, and each filled with a different substance. My eyes fixate on the Candor bowl, the one filled with glass, to represent- I assume- the clarity and transparency of truth. I eye the Dauntless one as well- its black coals sizzling and beckoning to me.

"You must choose, Natalia."

Johanna's voice reminds me that I have been staring at the bowls far too long. Hastily I slit my hand and hold the drops of blood, my hand hovering over the Candor bowl. Should I stay with my faction? Should I leave? The imminent choice I have to make is so overwhelming that I see small spots on the edge of my vision.

_Okay, Talia. Just breathe_, I tell myself.

And my hand, moving seemingly on its own accord, spills my blood into the bowl of my home faction. Dauntless. At once I feel relief. _This is where I truly belong._ My faction cheers wildly as I sit down with the other Dauntless initiates.

I am brave, not honest. I am the daughter of two Dauntless prodigies. And I will come out on top.

….

"Zachary Andrew Eaton."

I watch as my twin brother shoots a confident smile towards my best friend and his girlfriend, Ashley. He flips his shaggy sand colored hair out of his face and, leaving no time to spare, slits his hand and chooses Dauntless. I wish my choice had been that easy, but I've never had the decisiveness that Zack has always possessed. The female initiates go crazy and I can practically see Zack's ego inflating.

"Glad you chose Dauntless, little sis," he smirks and claps me on the back, "looked like you were actually considering Candor."

I roll my eyes in response. My brother's cocky air can get annoying, but we are as close as siblings can be. He is my mirror image- not in looks, he is tall and broad like my father, with the same angular sharpness to his jaw, while I am willowy and look just like my mother, except for the fact that I am much taller than she is. No, it's not his looks. It's his mannerisms. The way we carry ourselves is the same- we both sit with rigid backs, held in perfect posture, and our hand motions mimic eachother often.

"Are you two twins? How wonderful! I wish I had a twin!" An annoyingly bright voice says. I narrow my eyes. I have no patience for Amity babble.

I think the Amity transfer catches on because she stays silent, thankfully sparing me from small talk. She'll have to learn that Dauntless do not chatter incessantly like fools.

Ashley's name is called and she walks up to the bowls with an impassive expression that suddenly cracks when she meets Zack's eyes. A tear rolls down her mocha- colored cheek and I know what is about to happen. And I am proved correct when my best friend spills her blood into the Erudite bowl and I am overcome by her betrayal to not only Zack but to myself.

I always imagined myself and Ashley going through Dauntless initiation together, getting tattooed together, going to her and Zack's wedding as the maid of honor, raising our children next door to eachother in adjoining apartments. Now none of that will ever happen. She will spend her life studying in Erudite and meet new friends and never look back. Zack and I will become a shadow to her, just people she used to know long ago but no longer care about or speak of. Her betrayal stabs me like a hot knife and I feel angry tears slipping down my cheeks.

I quickly wipe them away and look over at Zack. He wears a dumbfounded expression. He and Ashley had been dating for two years and judging by his reaction, he had no idea that she would be choosing Erudite today.

_I cannot dwell on Ashley, _I think. Zack must think the same thing because his expression hardens and his eyes turn cold. I know that he must be desperately trying to forget her before he begins his new adult life at Dauntless. And despite the waves of sadness that threaten to crush me, I cry no longer. She chose her fate. I chose mine. And as I jump onto the train, I make a promise to myself. Ashley is no longer a friend of mine. And I will not let losing a best friend prevent me from achieving top of my initiation class.

…

Getting off the train proved difficult for many initiates, but not me. I'd been jumping off trains since I could walk. A sense of dread fills me as the chatty Amity runs and jumps off the train.

_She's not going to make it. _I hold my breath and to my horror I am right. The Amity girl- Mia, as I learn her name is- smacks the pavement below with a sickening thud. I peer over the edge and instantly wish I hadn't.

Mia is laying at an awkward position on the concrete, like a marionette without a puppeteer. A growing pool of blood forms around her and it's all I can do to hold back the bile that rises in my throat. Will this be what initiation is like? Losing one tribute after another? I feel suddenly sick with guilt at how rude I had been to Mia. I push the thought of her broken body to the back of my mind, where I hope it will stay. Sarah, A Dauntless leader covered in tattoos and piercings leads our group to a gaping hole in the ceiling. She could be considered pretty if she didn't look so jaded.

"Initiates, my name is Sarah. I am a Dauntless leader, and I'll be overseeing the faction transfers' training."

Sarah's young, maybe twenty one at most, but that's not uncommon for Dauntless. We tend to do everything at a young age because we have so little time. The older Dauntless who are incapable of pouncing on and off moving trains are asked to leave. Call us cruel, but it's just our way.

"Your first test," she grins evilly, "Is to jump." The faction transfers erupt in panicked whispers.

"I'll go first," I volunteer and launch myself off the building before Sarah can say anything. My mother has already told me about her experience as a first jumper, and how that was when she met my father for the first time. I land safely in the net as predicted, and Zack comes flying down a second later. He gives me a fake pouty look.

"Come on Talia. Not fair you got to jump first!"

"You just didn't think of it fast enough, stupid," I give him a joking punch to the arm. I'm glad to see that he is capable of joking, after what happened with Ashley. Zack is strong, though. I shouldn't have worried.

"You. What's your name?" A young woman asks me. She has deep green eyes and very long, wavy brown hair. She's seemingly tattoo free, which is rare in Dauntless.

"Talia." I reply.

"First jumper, Talia!" she calls out behind her, to someone I recognize. Uriah, an old family friend. It's good to see a familiar face. Uriah gives me a warm smile but turns away. I'm not offended. It might be seen as favoritism if we had any kind of conversation.

The wavy haired instructor leads me off to the side.

"Wait here." She says, her voice as clear as icicles.

She does not look very threatening or experienced. However, looks can be deceiving. My mother is small, and not muscular, but she ranked first and is deadly in battle. She's also mentally tougher than anyone, even maybe my father. I smile at the thought of my mother. How proud she'd be that I am a first jumper, like her. How proud they'd both be.

"Alright, initiates," Uriah says.

Everyone turns to listen.

"Sarah and I will take the faction transfers. Olivia will take the Dauntless born initiates." He gestures to the wavy haired young instructor. All eight of the Dauntless borns follow Olivia to the Pit for instructions.

"Alright," she says, pacing, "In case you didn't hear, my name is Olivia and I'll be overseeing your training, which will happen in three stages, as all of you are likely aware. The first is physical, and we start today. Any questions?"

A skinny freckled boy snickers.

"Something funny, initiate?" Her eyes darken menacingly.

"Well, aren't you a little young to be an instructor?"

Olivia pulls a knife out of nowhere and quicker than I can blink she's pressed it up against the ginger boy's throat. He stiffens.

"What's your name?" She says, eerily calm.

"Dylan," The boy manages to choke out, face as pale as a sheet.

"Well, _Dylan_, in answer to your question, yes. I am young to be an instructor. I am only sixteen, and I graduated last year. And you know one lesson that I was quick to learn?" Dyan remains silent, with the knife pressed up against his throat. "I learned to respect my superiors," Olivia sneers, "because they held my fate in their hands."

I've heard of Olivia from my father, who is an instructor at the new ETD (Extraordinarily Talented Dauntless)Academy. She apparently looked extremely promising at age thirteen and put in an application to train for Dauntless early with a guaranteed spot at the Academy with the rest of the promising new talent, most of whom were twenty and above. They train to become the army leaders, and I suspect Olivia is just taking the instruction position to give her added practice in training other Dauntless members. My father said that she would probably be the leading commander of all the army squads in Dauntless by next year. I only just realized that she is my father's student.

Dylan is starting to turn blue, and Olivia releases him. He gasps for air and wipes away a small drop of blood that escaped from where she held the knife. I need to remember not to cross her. Dylan looks properly terrified.

Olivia leads us down to the mats where we will fight. She shows us a bulletin board.

"You and the transfers will be ranked together, starting next week, with a 'T" marked by the transfer members' names. Your ranking determines the job you will have in Dauntless."

Everyone knows how initiation works, so no one asks any questions. I doubt they would even if they had a question, for fear of what happened to Dylan. She gestures to the board

Round I

Dylan vs. Aaron

Katie vs. Talia

Zack vs. Shelly

Derrick vs. Penny

"Alright. Dylan and Aaron. Fight until you can't." She says simply. No one dares argue. I'm sure not about to.

Dylan steps up to the mat. Sure, He's skinny and pale, but he looks fast. Aaron is tall and muscular and tanned, and looks much stronger than Dylan. I get the feeling that this fight won't last long. As fierce as Aaron looks, I'm surprised to see a sadness in his eyes that shows an unwillingness to fight.

"Go." Olivia says, impatiently, and Dylan flies through the air like a rabid squirrel and decks Aaron with a right hook. Aaron shoves him off easily. Dylan runs at him again to try to deliver a kick to the stomach, but Aaron is ready this time and grabs Dylan's foot and instantly knocks him out with a hard punch to the jaw. Aaron is the winner. I see Olivia circle his name on her clipboard and give a nod of approval when Aaron asks to take Dylan to the Infirmary. I'm impressed by Aaron- I used to see him in class all the time but we never really talked, and he seems to have what so many Dauntless boys lack- honor. He has enough honor to take his opponent to the Infirmary instead of simply leaving him on the floor.

Olivia nods at me and Katie, a girl that I know from classes and am friendly with. Katie's much more muscular than me, but I doubt she can catch me. She might be able to land a hard punch or two. We step onto the mat and Katie, being a good sport, shakes my hand before Olivia says go, showing me that there are no hard feelings, no matter what the outcome.

Katie lunges. She's fast, but I'm much faster. I dodge her and deliver a kick to her ribs. She's doubled over and I am about to deliver another kick when she gets up and punches me in the face, hard. I see spots dancing around my vision and mentally I kick myself. I will not have another lapse in judgement like that one. I see my nose gush blood and I knee her in the stomach and finally knock her out with a punch to the cheek.

"Nice job, Talia," I get the feeling Olivia doesn't give out much praise so I happily drink it in before helping Katie up and to the Infirmary to ice her fresh bruises.

The next fights are over quickly as well. Zack beats Shelly, a tall, raven haired girl that I strongly dislike, and Derrick crushes Penny, a small copper haired girl, and he grins in a way that makes me sick and angry at the same time. Tears drip down Penny's bloodied face. Olivia posts the rankings.

1. Aaron

2. Talia

3. Zack

4. Derrick

5. Katie

6. Dylan

7. Shelly

8. Penny

Second. Not bad for the first day. Now I just have to beat Aaron and win. That and I have to stay ahead of Zack and Derrick.

"Initiates, don't panic if this is not the ranking you think you deserve. Remember you will be ranked along with the transfers after this week and this is not a final ranking. It's only the first day," Olivia says in a surprisingly understanding tone, "If physical toughness isn't your strong suit, mental toughness might be."

I'm determined to make both my strong suit.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Zachary

Sometimes I think my sister can be a little scary. She's very thin and appears weak, but the ferocity with which she took Katie down showed the other initiates that she's not to be messed with. I could practically see the terror in Dylan's eyes and I had to stop myself from laughing at the stupid look on his face. _Could I take her in a fight? _The honest answer is that I'm not totally sure. I don't really want to find out, either.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Shelly glaring at me, evidently holding a grudge about the afternoon's fight.

What did she expect me to do? Lose on purpose because she's a girl? She should know better than that. Dauntless do not gender bias in their fights, and frankly most Dauntless girls would be insulted if a boy went easy on her. No one wants to appear weak or cowardly here.

The pretty instructor- Olivia, I think her name was- strides over to our initiate group.

"Now you may all enjoy the evening. Training's over at six every day. I'd suggest getting a tattoo to celebrate initiation," Olivia says, still unsmiling and deadly serious.

I'm surprised that celebration is even a word in her vocabulary. Her dark green kohl-lined eyes make her gaze intense. They turn her into a bit of a hardass, even more than the knife stunt with Dylan did. I'm going to take her advice about the tattoo, though. It could symbolize a new beginning. The beginning of my life without the Erudite traitor, as I've started to call Ashley in my mind. _God, she could be so annoying. The constant suspicions that I'd cheated. Her insistence on spending her hours writing and reading. The way she'd get so offended so easily._

Yes, Ashley had more than a few faults. Deep down, however, I did love her. And her transfer wounded me more than I'd care to admit.

"Zack. Let's get tattoos." Talia says, with a mischeivious grin.

We walk down to the tattoo parlor, talking about our prospective tattoos the entire way. When we step inside, we see that Aaron's already there.

"Hey, Aaron. What tattoo are you getting?" my sister asks.

"I asked Tori to surprise me." He gives her an awkward smile, and by the stiffness of his face I can tell that Aaron does not smile often.

I remember being in a few classes in school with him, and he never was very approachable. Never unfriendly or unkind, but he just had an aura about him that suggested that he didn't want to be disturbed. He doesn't seem to be disturbed by Talia talking to him. I wonder if he likes her.

"Wow. That's pretty Dauntless of you." Talia says, looking visibly impressed.

_Dauntless, or just stupid? _

Aaron chuckles.

" I suppose so."

Tori finishes up Aaron's tattoo and I can see that it's an elaborate oak tree that stretches from the side of his heel to just above his ankle. Its detail is so intricate that it stands out as only something a true artist like Tori could do. Aaron mumbles a thank you and Talia and I walk up to put in a request, one that we've been talking about for a very long time.

"We want matching constellations- the Gemini twins, please. On our backs."

Tori nods, and starts to etch stars on my back. Most people would consider getting a tattoo very painful, but I have a high pain tolerance so I don't mind. Looking over at my sister's unflinching form, I see that she does too.

Upon our return to the bunk room I see that many initiates have new ink. Shelly now sports a tiny seashell on the inside of her wrist. _How cliche. _ Katie's calf is emblazoned with the Dauntless seal. I rub the raw and tingling skin on the back of my shoulderblade subconsciously.

"How's the tattoo feeling?" Talia asks me, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Fine. Yours?"

"Great. Tori did an amazing job,"

"Yeah. She did," I agree.

"We owe her a lot." Talia whispers.

Judging by the intoned seriousness in her voice, I know she's not talking about the tattoos. Tori could have reported my mother to the Dauntless authorities for her inconclusivity on her aptitude test, but she spared her life and helped my mother hide it. Divergence was much more feared back when my mother and father were initiates. The stigma has faded since then, for the most part. We owe Tori our existence.

"Yeah."

"So...how are you, Zack?" She says, and I know that she's trying approach the subject of Ashley.

It infuriates me when she does this. Feels sorry for me.

"Stop it, Natalia."

"Wh-?"

But I cut her off before she can finish.

"You know. Don't treat me like I'm a wounded puppy. I'm fine, and I don't need your sympathy."

Like my father, I am quick to ignite. But Talia's indignant expression right before she walks away makes me regret my words a bit, and she leaves me with only my thoughts to keep me company.

I rise early the next morning and pull on my usual plain black jeans and black long sleeved shirt. I actually enjoy the silence of the morning, unlike most people my age. I can still see a few stars in the early morning sky as I make my way down to the Pit. I sip my coffee and savor my precious alone time, my time where I'm not just known as "one of the twins" and I'm never compared to Talia. Having a little extra time to myself makes me much less likely to snap at someone.

"What are you doing up so early, Initiate?"

Olivia's voice startles me and I turn around to see her looking very much awake and just as put together as she was yesterday afternoon.

"Nothing. What are you doing up so early?" I ask back. I'm not afraid of her. She can be intimidating and harsh to us, but I know that she just wants us to do well.

Her eyes narrow slightly but she answers me calmly.

"I'm always up this early. It's part of my training at the Academy."

"Me too."

I half expect her to walk away, but she surprises me.

"May I join you?" She asks.

I nod and smile at her.

"So, you are always up this early?" She asks, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. It's relaxing, I guess."

"I know. I'm a lot more relaxed in the morning than later during the day," she admits, shrugging.

"I can tell," I smirk.

"Initiate, are you implying that I'm not perfectly pleasant 24/7? Because I most certainly am." Olivia says, jokingly. She lets a grin spread on her face and I realize that it's the first time I've seen her smile. Her teeth are vibrantly white and perfectly straight, and her eyes crinkle kindly when she smiles, making her seem younger and more carefree.

We sit in silence for another half hour before I can see the first rays of sunlight dancing across Olivia's wavy brunette hair, making it look like a shiny chocolate waterfall.

"Alright, Initiate. Today you're on wake-up duty. Have everyone down at archery in fifteen minutes."

"Okay." I say, and go to fetch the others.

…

Down at Archery, I excel. I know that Talia is a dangerously talented hand to hand combat fighter, but I can outperform her in most precision related activities. I hit the bulls eye every time, splitting my previous arrow down the middle. Secretly I revel in the fact that I'm better than her at it, and at the fact that I'm not always second best to her. I'm still slightly angry at her.

Olivia gives me a quick nod of approval and excuses me to go help the others. I head to Penny's station, because she looks like she needs it the most. I take one look at Penny's stance and have to restrain myself from being too critical.

"Penny,"

She glances up at me, wide-eyed, like a baby deer. Her face is still badly bruised from being defeated by Derrick yesterday.

"You have to stand like this." I show her the proper way to stand and she copies me.

"And use the side of your mouth as a guiding point." She does as I say and lets an arrow fly. With a thump, it smacks the outside edge of the target. By her fifth arrow, she's hitting the inner ring.

"Thanks, Zack," she says, seeming infinitely more confident than ten minutes before.

"No problem. Look," I point at Derrick and whisper, "and you're doing much better than him."

We both chuckle at Derrick getting so annoyed at his incompetent skills that he throws down the quiver, like a four year old throwing a tantrum. I neglect to help Derrick, I'm rooting too much for Penny to do so. Penny's smile is so wide that it threatens to split her freckle dotted face.

I walk over to Talia's target. She's hit the bullseye a few times, but she's nowhere near my caliber, I'm pleased to note.

"Helping Penny? That's sweet, Zack." Her voice drips venom and I know she's still annoyed at me for my outburst yesterday.

"Just helping, Talia. Nothing more," I say, exasperated with her jumping to conclusions.

She just grins, not saying anything. I feel anger boil my blood and I force it down.

"Talia. We are nothing more than friends. I'm not interested in anyone that way."

"Whatever you say, Zack," she says, clearly not believing me.

"I don't assume you like every boy you talk to. Why do you assume I like every girl I talk to?" I say, pushing my mop of sand colored shaggy hair out of my face.

"Because you're a shameless flirt, Zachary."

She stops her shooting and looks me in the eye.

I turn away before I say something that I'll regret. I will never understand girls- they think everything is flirting. Talia's not the first person to accuse me of being overly flirtatious. I suppose I can be, but certainly not anywhere near the level that she was implying. Going back to my station and shooting for a few more hours clears my head. I'm confident that I've improved my rank significantly when Olivia stops me.

"Initiate. I need you to do a demonstration."

"Sure." I say, and Olivia calls for attention. The room falls silent.

"Initiates, you are all doing pathetically. I expected more from the Dauntless born,"

It's amazing how Olivia's quiet disapproval works so much more effectively than any raised voice ever could.

" Zack will demonstrate how it's done. Pay close attention- God knows you all need to."

I shoot another bullseye, taking care to keep my form nothing less than perfect. Everyone in the room looks impressed.

I can pretty much guarantee that my sister will not appreciate my display of skills. I know her inside and out, and she's very competitive. Always looking to be on top. I'm expecting a cold shoulder from her, but at dinner she sits next to me, Katie, and Aaron and promptly delivers an apology to me.

"I'm sorry for being annoying. You know, about Ashley and Penny."

"It's okay, sis." And I'm surprised to realize that I actually don't have any animosity towards her. My cousins in Amity would be proud of me.

"Nice work in Archery, Zack," Katie smiles at me. I nod in thanks and try very hard not to flirt. I don't want my sister to have the satisfaction of being right.

Aaron and my sister chat excitedly about the upcoming knife throwing lesson. I let my eyes wander around the pit, and they find Olivia's eyes. I quickly break eye contact, embarrassed. She probably thinks I've been staring at her.

I take a look at the transfer initiate group. One person stands out to me- a suspicious looking boy with dark hair and frighteningly pale skin, whose demeanor emanates hatred towards the other initiates.

I look back at my table, and pretend to listen to a story Talia's telling.

This will undoubtedly be a hard month.

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks for the nice reviews. Keep 'em coming! I appreciate feedback. Anyways, I'm thinking of making a romance blossom between a few characters- I could use some suggestions? Are you team Zack/Olivia? Zack/Penny? Zack/Katie? Aaron/Katie? Aaron/Talia? Let me know…**

-**Olivia**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Natalia

The rest of the week goes by surprisingly quickly- we have only two fights left until the end of Stage One. Today, I battle Derrick. He's big and has a lot of pent up anger, obviously, so his irrationality in his fighting could be a dangerous variable. I'm used to fighting opponents who are clear headed and use traditional fighting techniques.

This, I see as practice. Stepping out of my comfort zone can undoubtedly do me some good. Leaving my comfort zone is necessary for my survival in Dauntless and in my life in general.

Beating Katie was a cake walk. Beating Dylan and Shelly was so easy I could have done it with a blindfold on.

I stop before I think any more arrogant thoughts. _Pride will get me nowhere, _I remind myself. Only hard work and determination, not a cocky attitude, will improve my rank.

Which is why I'm here beating the crap out of this punching bag at 1:30 am. That, and I can't sleep.

I've always been a night owl, unlike my freak brother the morning person-he'll be awake in about three hours. Maybe he uses the time to practice his archery. Or maybe his archery talents are just natural ones.

I look down at my bleeding and split knuckles. I really should get some sleep.

The shadows freak me out slightly as I return to my dorm. The way they dance across the hall in the dimmed light. Paranoia fills me and I walk much more quickly until I am safe in my bed. Trying to sleep is proving difficult, though, and I soon discover the reason why. A note, stuffed in my pillowcase, keeps poking my ear. I shake it out and read it in the pale moonlight.

_Talia,_

_We need to see you and your brother. 12 am tomorrow night in the apartment._

_M&D_

A note from my mother and father was the last thing I was expecting. I wonder what could be so important that they need to see us now? Divergent hunting has ceased. The factions have been peaceful for many years. Protecting the fence is a completely uneventful position, given that nothing ever happens.

A sense of dread and excitement fills me up. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss my parents. I especially miss the little things- things I didn't notice until they were gone. My mother's insistence that different is good, that Divergence is nothing to be ashamed of. My dad's quiet bravery and rare smile. How much they both love us, and each other. True, faction before blood is important.

I'm glad that my parents are both my blood and my faction.

….

First thing in the morning, I tell Zack about the note.

"But why would they need to talk to us?"

"I don't know. I've told you everything I know." I said, starting to get annoyed with him.

Zack exhales loudly and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"We aren't supposed to, Talia,"

"Since when are you a pansycake rule follower? And it sounded really important," I say. Zack narrows his eyes at the pansycake comment and I can see I'm getting nowhere with him.

"Nothing ever happens. Nothing in years, Talia,"

"Doesn't mean nothing ever could happen."

"It's just...improbable."

"You sound like an Erudite, Zack. You sound like Uncle Caleb," I say, smirking.

"I do not," Zack wrinkles his nose in disgust.

"Besides," I continue, "What if it's not any danger? What if it's a family emergency?"

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know, someone dying? Or maybe they're getting divorced,"

Once the words are out of my mouth I know how ridiculous I sound. They are not getting divorced.

"Oh please," Zack says while rolling his eyes. "They are not getting a divorce. Mom and Dad are all over eachother."

I know Zack is right- my parents are very obviously in love with eachother.

"Zack. We have to go."

"I'll think about it, Talia."

I really want to smack my brother sometimes.

…..

Our initiate group gathers down by the fighting mats, waiting for the "go ahead" from Olivia to begin fighting. I'm practically wetting myself with anticipation. Derrick hasn't ever been pleasant. I knew him in school and he's a coward and a bully. He would always pick on the younger kids- much like he did with Penny on the first day. I can't wait to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Derrick does not shake hands before the fight, but I didn't expect him to.

"You're just a skinny little girl," he sneers. "You won't last thirty seconds."

"We'll see."

One crucial error he made was not watching my fights. I've watched every single one, analyzing everyone's techniques and skills. Knowing their weaknesses can be the difference between winning and losing. I just smirk at Derrick.

"Begin." Olivia says.

Derrick lunges at me but I dodge. He makes a grunt of annoyance and dives again but I am too fast.

"Fight back, you little bitch!" He growls in frustration.

I dance around all his attempted punches. He looks pathetic, with steam practically pouring out his ears and his face beet red from both anger and exertion, and saliva wetting his lips. I eventually launch myself onto him and connect my elbow with his nose. It makes a crunching noise. I must have broken it. He's stunned, momentarily, and I rake my sharp nails across his face, leaving deep, bleeding cuts in their wake. He screams in pain and shoves me off.

His sliced up face and ridiculous expression almost make me laugh. My snickering just seems to add fuel to the fire. He tries to kick me but I grab his ankle and twist it. I hear that snap too. A moment of realization just hits me. I've broken Derrick's ankle. He moans and passes out, falling to the floor with a thud, dark brown eyes shutting.

Olivia tells Dylan to take him to the infirmary.

I've likely made Derrick factionless. A broken ankle won't heal in time for the next fight. Guilt isn't the right word for what I'm feeling right now. More like horror at what I am capable of.

Aaron walks up to me and senses my distress.

"Hey. It's okay. If anyone deserves to be factionless, it's him."

"I broke his ankle, Aaron."

"You don't know that for sure-"

"Yes. I do. And so do you- we both heard it snap." I look down, ashamed.

"Look at me, Talia."

When I keep my eyes trained on the floor he gently cups my cheeks and tilts me up so I'm looking at him.

"Tali. You are a talented initiate, and I know you have strong morality as well. Don't doubt it. Derrick won't die. He'll be fine, okay?" His dark eyes reassurre me a bit and I calm down.

"Tali?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Is it okay if I call you that?"

"Yeah," I said, a warm smile spreading across my face.

"Good."

Olivia interrupts our conversation by putting up the rankings.

1. Talia

2. Zack

3. Aaron

4. Dylan

5. Katie

7. Penny

8. Shelly

I'm first.

The realization makes me abuzz with joy and I almost forget the incident with Derrick. Almost.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see Penny isn't last. I've always been one to root for an underdog. I really hope Penny won't be factionless.

I get a few murmured congratulations from a few other initiates, and we all head back to the Pit for dinner.

"I'm really excited for capture the flag," Katie says, in between bites of Dauntless chocolate cake.

"Me too. I want to meet the transfers. That should be interesting." Zack says.

"Yeah. Were there any Amity transfers?"

" Two, I think." Aaron says

"Only one." I correct him, remembering Mia's sad fate.

"Those Amity transfers never want to shoot anyone. I wonder if they'll make it past stage one."

"Careful, Katie. You shouldn't underestimate anyone," I say, a smile rising on my lips.

"You're right. I shouldn't." Katie says in admittance.

The fight with Derrick still lays heavily on my mind, but soon is banished with nervous excitement for seeing my parents. I hope Zack decides to join me.

…..

Once it's 11:50, I shake Zack awake.

"You coming, or not?" I ask.

"I'm coming."

"Good," I grin, "Glad to see my brother's not a pansycake."

"Oh, shut up,"

As we walk over to my parents apartment, we soon realize that we're not alone in going to visit them. Ashley's parents, Christina and Will, are already there, being let in my my mom. We follow them in and are immediately ambushed by my mother, who hugs each of us tightly. She smells like vanilla and mint. It's comforting. She still looks so young. She was only eighteen when she had us, but that's normal in Dauntless.

" Talia! Zack! We've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Mom," I say.

"Me, too." Zack chimes in.

Finally my dad appears behind my mom and he scoops us up in a big hug.

"How's initiation?" He asks.

"Good. But hard," Zack answers.

"Yeah. We're first and second ranked. Our instructor is a hard one." I say.

"Who? Olivia?" He asks, and nods knowingly. "I would expect her to be hard."

"Were you really harsh on Mom when she was an initiate?" I asked.

"He most definitely was." My mom chimes in, laughing.

"You were strong. You could take it." My dad smiles at her and winks. _Nope, they're definitely not getting a divorce._

She kisses him on the lips quickly.

"Mom!" Zack says, wrinkling his nose.

Mom just rolls her eyes and chuckles.

"So why did you call us here? And all these other people?" I ask. I'm dying of curiosity.

"Sit down. The meeting will begin in a few minutes. We'll explain everything."

Zack seems appeased and I am too. I take a quick glance around the room. A lot of my parents' friends are there- the ones they used to hold huge parties with. Zeke, Shauna and their daughter Devin, who's a year below Zack and I. Uriah shoots me a grin and I spot him sitting next to his wife Marlene and his best friend Lynn- She's where my middle name came from. I spot Uncle Caleb and Aunt Piper looking very uneasy in the crowd of Dauntless, and their two daughters Anna and Beth, new members of Amity- they look even more uneasy. I spot Olivia and the tattooed leader Sarah, talking quietly to each other in the far left corner of the room. A few people I don't know are there, along with-shockingly- Katie and Aaron. I sit next to Aaron and try to ask what's going on but my dad interrupts.

He clears his throat and claims everyone's attention. He's always had a commanding presence.

"We've called you all here today because you are the few people we can fully trust, and who are able to help with this mission. There's been a threat to the safety of the factions. A threat from the outside."

I can hear a collective gasp from about a third of the room.

"What threats could there possibly be?" Uncle Caleb asks, incredulously.

"People from the outside. We think they might be planning an attack- one that will strike in the next year. We could stop it before it starts."

"I can't believe there is even anyone out there," Aaron whispers to me.

"I know." I whisper back, still pretty shocked at what my dad just said.

"Where's your proof?" A scratchy voice sneers. I turn and see that it belongs to Sarah.

My mom rolls her eyes for the second time tonight.

"We wouldn't lie, Sarah. And Erudite knows the truth- they caught a spy and questioned him. The information has been covered up, and they decided that it was an empty threat and they would continue to do nothing." She says.

"What will we do about it?" My cousin Beth pipes up, her big green eyes wide.

"We won't have to harm anyone, will we?" Anna says naïvely.

"No. You won't, at least. Anyone under twenty will be gathering intel at a school on the outside that specializes in training spies- The Marian Academy. The adults will be taking a more direct approach- we're trying to assassinate the leader of the whole operation- Karl Marian, the school director and the country's dictator."

"You can't just kill someone," Anna says, in shock.

"Believe me. Anna. This man has done horrible things. Unspeakable things."

Anna still looks unhappy, and so does her older sister Beth, but they stay quiet.

"This mission starts right when Dauntless initiation ends. We'll keep in touch," my dad days.

"So. Are you in?" My mom says to the small group.

Everyone nods. Including Anna and Beth.

**AN: Ok. Sorry there wasn't much action in this chapter- I just decided to introduce the actual plot. I promise that there will be a little bit of fluff and a big secret revealed by one of the characters. Anyway, hopefully I can write in more with Fourtris being parents. And all you percy jackson fans out there, did you see my reference with Caleb's daughters anna and beth? Also, I'm sorry if any of you thought this would just be sap and romance. I WILL write a lot of that in here but I don't want to rush the characters into a relationship. **

**Also I have an update goal. One chapter every thurs and maybe 1-2 on the weekends. I have AP testing so I'll be busy but ill try to write a lot!**

**Olivia**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Zack

The whole thing was quite a lot to take in. The people outside, the imminent threat, our departure after initiation. I mulled it over in my mind while I sipped my morning coffee.

"Hey, initiate," Olivia said, walking into the Pit.

"Hi."

Having coffee together before dawn had become kind of a morning routine in these past few weeks. It had been three days since the meeting at my parents' apartment, and she hadn't mentioned it once, so I decided to.

"Um, about the meeting-"

I was cut off by a very harsh glare.

"Not here! Are you stupid?" She hissed.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Sorry. Just come with me," she said, sounding somewhat apologetic as she grabbed my hand and led me to her apartment in Sector 4C and into number 275. When she pulled me inside I smelled the wonderful scent of fresh citrus and forest.

Her apartment was small- only one bedroomed, and was painted a cool mint green color. All her furniture was pure white, except for a beautiful landscape painting above her bed.

"Okay. Now we can talk in peace. Someone might have overheard us."

"Olivia. Who would've overheard? We were the only ones there."

"Anyone could have. And you should know better than to talk about such a secret thing in a public place."

She sat down on top of her bedspread and motioned for me to sit next to her. My heart thumped loudly against my chest- so loudly I was afraid she'd hear it.

"So. What did you want to know?"

I was awed by how good her breath smelled. Like fresh mint.

"I just wanted to ask...are you nervous?"

"A bit."

"Only a bit?"

"Yeah. I've been preparing for this sort of thing since I was thirteen," she said, shrugging.

"Wow. Impressive."

"Thanks. My dad always pushed me so hard. He said that if I didn't make it into ETD he'd disown me."

"That seems..harsh." I said, shocked that any parent would do such a thing.

"No kidding. He was a Dauntless leader and so is my older sister. It's kind of a family thing."

"Who's your sister?"

"Sarah. She was present when you jumped into the net."

"The tattooed girl? _She's _your sister?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yeah," she said, smirking, "I'd say I'm the more pleasant sister."

"I think I can agree with you there," I said, remembering how harsh and cold Sarah seemed.

"She's definitely my father's favorite. He told me so, even." She said, her face clouded by resentment.

"Who is he?"

"His name's Eric,"

Eric. The very same Eric that hated my father? The one my father told me about, the one who hung Christina over the chasm. The one that was a ruthless and cruel leader and was thrown out of leadership by the rest of the Dauntless leaders. Now that I think about it, Olivia has his mouth and face structure.

"Our fathers were enemies," I laugh dryly.

"I know."

"What about your mother?"

A shadow of sadness passes over her face and I immediately regret asking that question.

"She died. She got very sick when I was ten. Sarah was fifteen."

"I'm so sorry," I said, at a loss for words.

"That's okay," a smile crept over her face. "She was beautiful. She was the only one who was able to reason with my father. Before her death he was actually a good man, but afterwards we were never allowed to speak of her,"

She got up and walked over to her nightstand and pulled out a picture frame. She handed it to me, and I could see a six or seven year old Olivia and a twelve year old Sarah, happy grins shining on their young faces, with a woman who looked remarkably like Sarah holding them both in a hug.

"She looks kind," I said, and it's true. She has the same kindness about her eyes when she smiles that Olivia does.

"She was,"

I swore I saw tears in her eyes but they were gone before I could look any more closely. Then she glanced at her timepiece.

"It's already six, Zack. We have to get going."

I grinned like an idiot at her.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. You just called me by my name, and not 'initiate.'"

"Oh shut up. Don't push your luck," She said, playfully smacking my shoulder.

…

The last fights are taking place today. And to my horror I see that I'm fighting my sister this time. I'm much bigger and stronger than she is, but undoubtedly she is more skilled in combat than I am. As we step up to the mat she leans in and whispers something in my ear.

"No matter what the outcome, no hard feelings, okay?"

I nod and she steps back, waiting for the go ahead from Olivia to begin. The second Olivia nods Talia swoops in and jabs me in the ribs with her elbow, hard. I swipe at her and grab her arm and punch her in the stomach and she doubles over, but not for long. Punching my sister feels wrong in so many ways and my stomach threatens to empty itself of the lunch I had earlier.

Talia delivers a sharp kick to my side and tries to follow up with a punch but I block it and take another swipe at her. This dodging and swiping goes on for at least another ten minutes, and Talia has a bloody nose and blackening eye. I have a sharp rib pain and a split lip and I'm fairly certain she pulled out a handful of my hair. Then she makes a significant move. She launches her lithe form on top of me and tackles me to the ground. I stand and try to rip her off me but she's sunken her nails into my shirt and won't let go. She kicks me repeatedly in my rib area and eventually the pain becomes too great and I succumb to unconsciousness.

….

Once I awake in the infirmary, I open my eyes to see Olivia hovering over me.

"Hi. How are you feeling.?"

"Fine," I say, yanking the IV needle out of my arm and sitting up. And it's not a lie. I do feel fine, except for the lingering pain in my scalp and my rib.

"You were out for a few hours," she said, answering my next question before I could ask it.

"What time is it?"

"Six thirty. And I want to go show you something, so put your shoes on."

I do as I am told and follow her outside the Dauntless compound, all the way to the Amity fields, empty for the day, and up to the fence.

"Look. Does this look familiar?"

Now that I think about it, it does look familiar. This is the scene that was hanging above her bed in the landscape painting.

"This is the scene in the painting,"

She smiles that brilliant smile again and I swear my heart skips a beat.

"Yeah. I painted this, a year ago. I used to want to go into the beyond so badly. And now that I have the chance…" She trails off.

"You don't want to?"

"No. I want to. But I want to come back, too." She says, staring off into the distance.

"Me too."

When she turns to look at me I see a rare emotion in her expression. Fear.

"You'll come back, I promise."

An empty promise. One I can never possibly guarantee. She and I might die on our mission. And I'd be powerless against fate.

But she turns and looks into my eyes and gets close to me.

"You promise?"

"Yes," I breathe, and her lips find mine in the tall grass beyond the farms. And I know now that I'd do anything to keep my promise.

**AN-**

**Okay, so AP testing takes a lot more studying than I initially thought. I'll try to update as much as I possibly can but I need to spend my time studying (ew). Okay so Zack and Olivia finally got together yay alright. If you have any critiques I'd love to hear them. I still need to cut a few initiates from Dauntless, leave a review telling me who you think should be eliminated!  
**

**~Olivia**

**P.S. Yes, me and my character have the same name. Yes, I did name a character after myself. BUT I COULDNT HELP IT OK DONT JUDGE**


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